Abstract

Chemical contaminants in milk comprise of hazardous chemicals that may be introduced during milking, dairy processing or packaging. They possess some hazards to humans who consume milk and other dairy products. Total of one hundred and fifty (150) samples were collected; thirty each of UHT milk, yogurt, soft, ‎hard and processed cheese.  The samples were analyzed to investigate the presence of some chemical hazards. Chemical analysis indicated that tetracyclines were present in samples of UHT milk with variable percentages, while aflatoxin M1 was detected in all of the examined UHT milk samples and cheese. Sorbic acid, benzoic acid, sulphur dioxide and nitrite were detected in some samples of cheese. The potential to cause toxicological harm to the consumers is common for all of the detected chemical contaminants.

Key words: Chemical hazards milk, dairy products, antibiotic, mycotoxin, preservatives.